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Press

Specialist Factual commissions factual drama The Interrogation

Specialist Factual has commissioned from Story Films a 1 x 60 mins ground breaking factual drama The Interrogation (working title). Inside No 9 star and BAFTA winner Steve Pemberton (Happy Valley, Whitechapel, Benidorm) will play Tony Martin who was sentenced to life after shooting dead 16 year old burglar Fred Barras.

Alongside Pemberton will be Daniel Mays (Line of Duty, Born to Kill) and Stuart Graham (The Fall, Thirteen, Hunger). The drama is written and directed by David Nath for Story Films. Nath is the award winning filmmaker behind BAFTA-winning documentary The Murder Detectives and C4 drama The Watchman.

The Interrogation (working title) will offer up an account of the three days of police questioning following his arrest for shooting two burglars who broke into his farmhouse in 1999. At his trial Martin argued he had used reasonable force to defend himself and his property. His conviction provoked public outcry and the case became a national cause celebre.

Martin successfully appealed against his conviction. As a result it was reduced to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and he was released from prison after serving three years.

Executive Producer Peter Beard said: “This is the missing part of an extraordinary story that captivated and divided the country. Finally we will hear exactly what Tony Martin told detectives in the confines of a police interview room just hours after he was arrested. For the first time it’s his own account in his words.”

Acting Head of Specialist Factual Rob Coldstream added “This thought provoking film sheds new light onto the Tony Martin story, illuminating an issue that touched a raw public nerve at the time and - as events surrounding the recent burglary case in London’s Hither Green demonstrate - continues to do so today.

Steve Pemberton continued; ‘”This is a fascinating story which divided public opinion at the time – and is currently even more poignant. Now we finally get to hear the account directly from Tony Martin, I’m looking forward to being part of such a ground breaking drama.”